Fern. has a new sound that will surprise his longtime listeners. This is one of the intriguing things listeners will discover in his latest single, which is now out on all music streaming platforms under Island Records Philippines.
Fern. had two key collaborators on this project, Sonny Zero and veteran beat-maker and musician Lustbass. Working with these two musicians, he created a song that, for him, represents another stage in his musical journey, one where he engages with various sonic palettes. “[The song]…became my place for experimentation,” he says, “and a lot of the sounds put in the song [feel] very different.” In this attempt to sound different, he brought in Lustbass, known for his electronic R&B and soul-flavored music. The result is a song that highlights Fern’s songwriting chops but differs from his past tunes with the adoption of a sound that evokes the groove of music, past and present.
One noticeable sonic feature of “Faith” that listeners may pick up would be the influence of one of popular music’s greatest songwriters. “I love Prince’s music,” says Fern., “I grew up listening to a lot of Prince and I can say the album The Rainbow Children really affected my current sound.” Apart from R&B tunes, a genre which Prince himself drew from in his music, Fern. took his cue from the likes of Tame Impala and Thom Yorke of the influential rock band Radiohead.
“Faith” is a single that marks a turning point in Fern.’s musical journey, and the singer hopes that people will get to listen to it anywhere. He believes that it is possible because “I think music can transform into whatever the listener is currently feeling or whatever state of mind they are in.” Evoking particular emotional and mental states is indeed what music can do, and if it happens, Fern. can say that his music works